Photo By Michael A Furlano | Started under CAPT Bob Hall's leadership, FRCSW's F/A-18 CBR Program has saved $100M+...... read more read more
NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif. - In 1991, at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, a Navy F/A-18 aircraft suffered a hard landing damaging its fuselage section, the center barrel. Instead of scrapping the jetfighter, and incurring the more than $50 million replacement cost, a team from Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) proposed an innovative idea to replace the damaged center barrel. Engineers and artisans put their collective heads together and devised a new method for repairing the F/A-18 aircraft. This was the birth of the Center Barrel Replacement (CBR) program at FRCSW. Over the years, this program evolved into the Center Barrel Replacement Plus (CBR+) program, and played a crucial role in extending the service life of aging legacy aircraft. The success of this effort led to the High Flight Hour (HFH) program and later to the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), ultimately pushing the jets from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours. These efforts not only prolonged aircraft life, but also supported necessary wartime missions. As FRCSW nears the end of the CBR+ program, it has saved an estimated $2.9 billion for taxpayers and showcased the Navy’s dedication to enhancing aviation capabilities. The team’s expertise ensures continued world-class maintenance for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, leaving a lasting impact on aviation.
As the FRCSW team wraps up the remarkable journey that has been the CBR+ program, the artisans’ dedication and expertise are showcased once more in the story of “RA52”, the final center barrel replacement aircraft. In the realm of naval aviation maintenance, substituting the center barrel is viewed as one of the most intricate and lengthy repair endeavors. A condensed breakdown of the involved intricacies includes:
Dismantling: Prior to substituting the center barrel, extensive disassembly is required, which include the removal of wings, engines, landing apparatus, and other structural and operational elements.
Precision: Given its pivotal role in the aircraft's structure, any effort to replace or mend the center barrel demands the utmost precision to assure the plane's structural integrity and flight safety is not compromised. For instance, artisans remove anywhere from 20,000 to 22,000 fasteners and this effort demands unparalleled precision as each one of them will need to be reassembled. The center barrel acts as the main connecting structure for the various components of the aircraft including the wings and landing gear. Precision is especially important in this process to maintain the structural integrity of the whole aircraft.
Specialized Equipment: This process requires specific tools and equipment. Suitable support for the aircraft during the procedure often means relying on tailor-made jigs or fixtures.
Expert Knowledge: Only the most seasoned and adept artisans and engineers undertake these intricate replacements due to the task's critical nature and the need to ensure pilot safety.
Evaluation: Multiple assessments are conducted throughout to ensure the work's precision and quality is of the highest standard.
Replacement: The aircraft's reassembly is another complex task. Each component and system underwent thorough checks and tests to ensure proper functionality.
Record-Keeping: The CBR+ process also involves detailed documentation. Every phase, including evaluations and tests, needs meticulous recording for future references and accountability.
Time Frame: Depending on factors like part availability, specific tools, and the availability of expert artisans, the entire procedure can span months.
Given these multifaceted challenges, the center barrel replacement stands out as one of the most demanding operations in naval aviation maintenance history. When executed according to specifications, this intricate process performed by the command’s artisans and engineers ensures the aircraft's enduring safety and optimal functionality.
The U.S. Navy, always at the vanguard of innovation, recognized the transformative potential of the CBR program, leveraging the process to extend the aircrafts’ operational lifetimes. James Davis, FRCSW F/A-18 Production Manager, began his work on the CBR program in 2004 as a crew member on the production floor. As a Production Manager, Davis oversees the crew leaders and keeps the aircrafts on schedule.
Davis says, “The operational tempo dictated by ongoing conflicts sped up the aging of the aircraft because they flew more than they were supposed to. When they landed on carriers, the center barrel took the bulk of the weight so that is where most of the stress cracks were found. The CBR program was a way to save money through refurbishment. Instead of spending 50 million dollars on a brand new plane, they could replace it for much less.”
Pedro Duran, the Deputy Program Manager overseeing the F/A-18 CBR program, fondly reminisces about his initial time with the program back in 2005. During those early days, the task of disassembling the aircraft proved to be challenging, primarily due to the relative simplicity of the initial fixtures, in which there was a lack of moving components. However, with the arrival of advanced fixtures, a significantly smoother disassembly process mitigated the challenges that were once prevalent in the program’s initial method. These cutting-edge fixtures offered a dynamic approach to aircraft disassembly, a departure from the constraints imposed by the original equipment and fixtures. The innovation in fixture design has ushered in a new era of efficiency and precision within the F/A-18 CBR program, exemplifying the relentless pursuit of excellence personified by FRCSW artisans.
For almost two decades, Duran and Davis have been deeply involved in the intricacies of the CBR program, commencing their journey on the production floor as integral members of the crew. Witnessing the final center barrel’s installation on the RA-52 aircraft carries a touch of nostalgia for them. Yet, the future brings new challenges as they pivot to the Super Hornet, immersing themselves in new processes aimed at enhancing and prolonging that aircraft’s operational lifespan. Transitioning forward, the service life modification (SLM) initiative seeks to further increase the longevity of these aircraft. Notably, while the SLM echoes planning maintenance interval (PMI) typically for legacy planes, the CBR and SLM efforts remain distinct and separate processes. A PMI is a scheduled maintenance event based on flight hours, calendar time, or usage cycles. It includes predefined tasks like inspections and component replacements to ensure an aircraft’s safety and longevity. With the era of legacy Hornets drawing to a close, the Super Hornets have secured their place in the FRCSW success story.
As the final center barrel replacement was meticulously executed on the RA-52 aircraft, it serves as a testament to FRCSW’s unwavering commitment to maintaining the U.S. Navy fleet’s operational excellence. This critical procedure not only revitalized aging aircraft, but also underscored the pivotal role such refurbishments play in ensuring the readiness and effectiveness of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, affirming the enduring significance of the CBR program to our nation’s defense and our American way of life.
Visit Fleet Readiness Center Southeast's story on their final F/A-18 Hornet CBR:
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/455360/fleet-readiness-center-southeast-completes-final-f-18-hornet-center-barrel-replacement
| Date Taken: | 10.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.04.2023 12:21 |
| Story ID: | 455054 |
| Location: | CORONADO , CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 743 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Closing the Chapter: FRCSW Concludes Center Barrel Replacements, by Janina Lamoglia, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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